Electric contact device



C. C. FARMER.

ELECTRIC CONTACT DEVICE. AEPLICATION FILED DEC. 10; 1919.

1,390,607. Patented Sep 13, 1921.

INVEN'i'OR C. LY DE 0. FARMER ATTORNEY UNITED STAT s PATENTAOFF'ICEQ CLYDE c. FARMER, or EDGEWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA, Assrenon o The wns'rme- I HOUSE AIR BRAKE COMPANY, or WILMERDING, PENNSYLVANIA, A coarorm- TION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC CONTACT DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept.'13, 1921.

Application filed December 10, 1919. Serial No. 343,950.

a corresponding contact and in which a rela-' tive movement of the contactfaces is produced as the contacts engage, so that the engaging faces are ma1nta1ned clean and bright. I

An electric train wire coupll g having contacts of the abovecharacter 1s dlsclosed in a prior Patent, No. 1,290,066, of T. R.

Brown, dated January 7, 1919, and one objectof my invention is to provide an improved contact of the abovetype.

WVhere there is relative movement of butt,

be suflicient wear, so that only the central portion of the contact will actually engage the corresponding contact. with the result that the conductivity of the contact is reduced.

This wear also tends to prevent the rubbing action at the'periphery of the contact which is necessary to maintain the contact surface in the desired clean and bright con dition.

Furthermore, particles of dirt tend to lodge at the central portion of the contact and thus prevent effective engagement of the contacts. I

Another object of my inventionds to obviate the above difficulty by eliminating the bearing contact at the central portion of the contact.

In the accompanying drawing; Figure 1 is a sectional view of. counterpart contacts for an electric train line coupling, in engagement, .and embodying my invention; and

Fig. 2 an end view of one of the contacts.

As shown in the drawing, the reference numeral 1 represents the ,coupler head of a train line coupling and within said head are mounted one or more butt contact members 2. 1

The ,rear portion of each member 2 is provided with screw threads 3 of very coarse pitch adapted to engagecorresponding grooves in a nut 4, the pitch being such that 7 pressure applied to the contact face of the member will cause the same to rotate in the nut 4. I

A coil spring 5 acts through acollar 6 on the member 2 andtends to maintain said member extended, as shown'in the drawing. According to my invention, ,the central portion of the meeting face of the contact member 2 is counter-bored out, as shown at 7, so that there will be ,no bearing contact at the central portion o'f'the contact memben,

members 2 are forced rearwardly and rotate,

through the engagement of the screw threads 3 in the grooves of the nut 4, and the meeting faces of corresponding contact members 2 rub on each other, so as to maintain-the W contact surfaces bright and clean.

Having now described my invention,.what

I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1- A butt contact member for an electric train line couplinghaving means for rotating the member upon engagement with a counterpart contact member and having a recess at the central portion of the contact face removed. 7 p 7 2. In an electric train line coupling, the

combination with a coupler head, of a butt" contact member mounted in,said head and adapted to be depressed by engagement with thecoming together of said contact members for producing a relative rotative movement between the coacting faces of said contact members, the central portion of the meeting face of the contact member'being cut away.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set I my hand.

CLYDE c. FARMER.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,390,607, granted September 13,

1921, upon the application of Clyde 0. Farmer, of Edgewood, Pennsylvania, for an improvement in Electric Contact Devices, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 1, line 91, claim 1, strike out the Word removed; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 22d day of November, A. D., 1921.

WM. A. KINNAN,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

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